Carey Mulligan gets in character for her W cover

British actress Carey Mulligan was asked to pose in character for a series of portraits and the cover of January's W magazine.

BY Melissa Whitworth |
13 December 2011

Carey Mulligan appears on the cover of W magazine's January issue. Photo: Michael Thompson for W

Carey Mulligan appears on the cover of W magazine's January issue. Photo: Michael Thompson for W

"There are two sartorial sides to the actress Carey Mulligan,"
The Telegraph
's Kate Finnigan has said. "There's 'Uptown Carey', she of those stiff, calf-length event dresses. And there's 'Downtown Carey', where it's all slacks and jackets in muddy colours, worn with mannish shoes."

In
January's W
which sees the British actress on the cover in a Nina Ricci raffia tweed jacket and cotton bra, Carey is definitely chanelling her Uptown persona.

In a shot of Mulligan posing in Prada's silk chiffon dress with a chipmunk on her shoulder she was asked to think of a character who's "always dreamed of playing a woodland creature in an animated movie. Now they're asking her to voice a wisecracking chipmunk, and she needs to practice."

Photo: Michael Thompson for W

In other images Mulligan models a Louis Vuitton white embroidered silk organza and leather dress and a canvas top by Miu Miu.

Her cover is, perhaps, a little risqué for an actress applauded for her unwavering ladylike style. However, for her latest role in the film "Shame", she admits she had to shed her inhibitions.

"I've never been comfortable with the idea of nudity. I've done only seminude, very innocent things in the past, and I've always been of the quite British mind-set that I won't do gratuitous nudity. When it came to ["Shame"], it just seemed so obvious that she is the sort of person who would have no trouble being naked in front of any family member... She's an extrovert and wants to be seen."